


Memoir of a Necromancer

by Dreamtiel



Series: Shida and Yuura [1]
Category: Brave Frontier
Genre: (I don't know how i should be tagging characters ahahah), (its mostly Shida x Yuura), (tbh I'm following how one of my favorite bf fics did this so), Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 06:16:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11307420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamtiel/pseuds/Dreamtiel
Summary: Shida did not remember most of what had happened in his first life. But what stood out in most of the memories that he did keep in-between lives was one person whom he admired above all else, even if neither quite realized it.





	Memoir of a Necromancer

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to the friends who introduced me to the relatively many fanworks of this pairing, and well, the game in general. These pairs may not see the light of day often, but the fans that exist out there and discuss with you are to be treasured.

_As I step through the gate, bathed in blinding lights_

_I hear your voice_

_“Come back to me again”_

_And I am born, once more_

_In a familiar land_

_A land that isn’t our own anymore_

_And I see your silhouette in the distance_

_Waiting, for me_

 

~~~

 

“My name is Yuura. I take it you’re supposed to be my new apprentice?”

 

I won’t forget the day I met him. Unlike all the other research centers I’d heard about in Bariura, the facility he kept watch of was rather short in staff. Some lower-tiered magicians worked in a different room, while he operated alone most of the time in his own workspace. I quite liked the facility. It was quieter than I’d hoped.

 

Yuura, despite his superior position, was no more than two or three years older than me. You could tell from his smug, immature smirk and the way he always fussed over keeping his violet hair slicked back. His organization skills were quite befitting of someone who had probably recently graduated from his studies a couple years prior, as well. And that is merely one of the things about him that drew me to want to observe him, to know what makes him tick.

 

“Ah, Shida, are you busy?” was practically his catchphrase, even in the early days of working with him. “Could you get me something?” or “Can you help me with this experiment?” were very common follow-ups. As someone who went through numerous amounts of paperwork and interviews to secure a job in Bariura, I was inclined to always stop what I was doing and help him.

 

As I had mentioned before, his organizational skills in his workroom were abysmal, to put it lightly. Papers were always strewn about the lab, placed in messy stacks in various locations. The specimens we kept in jars were haphazardly left lying around, with little thought on organization. Yet I had grown quickly accustomed to it, finding whatever misplaced crystal or fresh sample he needed within a minute. His surprisingly cheerful smile gave way to thanks. I felt comfortable working with him.

 

In the first few months we worked, we were distant from one another. I did not know what his family life was like, how he spent time after work, or what his relationships were with other colleagues. He didn’t know much about me either.

 

Then, one day, he reached out to me, to learn more about me. I remember, we were dissecting an Orthos together. He noticed how careful and steady my hand was in performing a dissection, how focused I was in my work, and how overall unaffected by the stench of death I was.

 

“Did anyone ever teach you how to do this sort of thing?” he had asked, almost sarcastically. “You’re a natural at this.”

 

“No.” I was always rather blunt when he asked personal questions back then.

 

“Y’know, we’ve been working for months now, and I barely know a thing about you,” he mused.

 

“Likewise.”

 

“You were from Atharva before, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He held the Orthos’ chest open as I cut in deeper. “Where did you go to school?”

 

“I studied under the teachings of Sage Bran.”

 

“Wow, Bran, huh?” He laughed, impressed. “I’ve heard of the guy. Heh, hey, it sounds like even his way of speaking rubbed off on you.”  


He had thrown a jab at me, and I had fallen for it. “What do you mean?”

 

“Under the teachings of Sage Bran.’ Do people still talk like that, or is it an Atharvan thing?”

 

I huffed. “Excuse me?” I must’ve sounded offended, because he immediately laughed it off again.

  
“I’m only joking with you! Heh, you’re always so serious, Shida… I’ve been wondering for awhile now, just who you are”

 

I stayed quiet as I started cutting around the Orthos’ heart. Who I am...

 

“I can tell there’s something special about you… I don’t quite know what it is yet.” He grinned cheekily. “And I don’t say that to just anyone.”

 

“I suppose I can say the same about you.” I looked up at him, breaking my focus on the dissection. I realized then how rarely back then I had actually looked him in the eye. His eyes were narrow and sharp, a very beautiful shade of violet. They added to his cunningly mysterious nature.

 

“Yeah, so… if we’re gonna work together, how about we get to know each other?”

 

“In the middle of a dissection?”

 

“I was thinking maybe later at the noodle shop down the street.”

 

It soon became custom for us to visit that restaurant every other day after work.

 

He kept trying to peel away at me, to find out more about me. Over the many months we worked together, I succumbed to his occasional questions, and he in turn told me about his own life.

 

I revealed to him the state of my family, that my mother left us when I was a young boy, and that my father couldn’t have cared less about my studies and left me to my own devices to experiment on the animals in our backyard. And when I grew old enough, I left for better places in Bariura.

 

Yuura told me he was actually of a similar background, only his father actually cared for him up until his untimely death. Yuura himself was something of a prodigy, with a special interest in the more morally ambiguous sides of dark magic. I remember how he subtly bragged how he was talented enough to attain his position through sheer skill and little practice. Yet he was willing to admit his flaws, that he was essentially brilliant but lazy. When he told me, he had joked that maybe that was why I was so much better at dissections and any kind of research involving living beings.

 

We’d grown close. He was more than a colleague, and more than a superior. I could comfortably say that back then, I had grown attached to him, and he had grown attached to me. At least, I think that’s how it was…

 

He wanted to know more about me. “Hey Shida, what's your dream?”

 

“Dream? As in lifelong goal?”

 

“Yeah. What is it?”

 

I didn't need to think on it. “To see Ishgria for myself,” I answered almost immediately.

 

“Ishgria? That hellhole with all the demons?” He sounded surprised. I wouldn't blame him. Most kids would dream of becoming a king or at the very least, a powerful hometown warrior. But Yuura didn't find my aspiration odd, for some reason. He grinned after his initial attitude of surprise. “That's cool! I can see why you’d wanna go there…”

 

He didn't need to prompt me to explain myself. I did anyway. “I've heard many stories of demons and indescribably beautiful lands… Can you imagine what kind of specimens must exist there?”

 

He nodded earnestly. “Yeah, I can definitely see why you'd want to go there. You wanna find something big and make a name for yourself, yeah?”

 

“Actually… I could do just fine without the fame. I simply want to discover everything for myself.”

 

“Heh, humble guy, huh?”

 

I smiled. “What about you, Yuura? What's your dream?”

 

He gave me a thoughtful smile and looked away, for once focusing on our work without my reminder. “Hm… ah, that's a secret for now.” I didn't pry into it. “But, uh, hey, I’d love to join your dream sometime… if you’d let me.”

 

I liked that idea very much.

 

Then came the day I was promoted to the same level as him. He had very willingly recommended that I be promoted as soon as possible, and that recommendation had gone through. We were finally, officially equals, equals who would watch over the state of the facility we worked in. I had more responsibilities and duties, but I didn’t mind them at all for how trivial they were. Nothing really changed except for my title. We were happier that way. Besides an exponentially growing thirst for research and experimentation, I think I was quite content with life at that point.

 

I believed Yuura had the same sentiments.

 

He would greet me each day with a smile and a cup of coffee. Perhaps a quick quip to go with it. He'd pry for more breaktimes even when only ten minutes had passed since the last.

 

We’d talk less about the task at hand and more about trivial things, such as the state of the Empire or what we had for dinner last night. They were little moments I liked, even with how stubborn Yuura’s opinions were, especially concerning the growing threat of the gods or the Empire.

 

“Honestly, I don’t really believe in that threat,” he told me one day when I had mentioned the war during one of our outings at the noodle shop he adored.

 

“What threat?”

 

“The gods. You know the definition of a god is? ‘A superhuman being or spirit worshiped as having power over nature.’”

 

“Is that so? Well, don’t the gods fit that description?”

 

“Pfft, well, the superhuman part maybe. But think about it-- there’ve been many humans throughout the ages with powers over nature. So what makes those so-called gods actual gods?”

 

“Heritage, I suppose. Gods are born with their power, and humans have to gain it through other means. And… humans have a much lower limit than that of a god. They are much more susceptible to death than a true god. Is that not how it works?”

 

He scoffed. “Maybe so. But I still don’t see what the big deal is… The gods, especially the minor ones, aren’t that powerful compared to the progress made by humanity, don’t you think, Shida?” He gave a coy smile and leaned in closer to speak softer. “I mean, look at us. We’re making breakthroughs in necromancy here. And here the gods thought only they had such a power.”

 

“Hm…” I had looked down at my tea. While it did sound ludicrous, I had to admit there was some sense in Yuura’s argument. Perhaps that was why the war threatened to start in the first place. Humanity was starting to become level with the power and might of the gods, whom they had once relied on. “I think you’ve had too much scotch for one night, Yuura.”

 

He laughed. “Ahh, Shida. You really think my thought process is out there, don’t you? I’m not surprised. Hah, honestly, with your mind, maybe one day you can turn all this corruption around…”

 

That was the first time I had come across that thought, the thought that I may one day uphold a high position amongst the Bariurian court. I was of no noble blood, but magicians of high esteem were actively sought out for by the Emperor himself, who was by no means clear of suspicions of treachery. Everyone in Bariura was aware of the inward power struggles in the country.

 

“You honestly think that?” I asked, suspicious.

 

“Yeah.” He answered too quickly for his answer to be anything but sincere. “I mean, honestly? I’ve given up hope, but someone as genius and powerful as you just might be able to turn things around. Maybe. I’m not getting my hopes up.” He flashed a cheeky grin once more. “Ahh, but if you ever do get promoted like that, maybe we wouldn’t be able to hang out like this…”

 

It was as if he knew what was to happen.

 

A week after that exchange came the day I got another promotion. I was recognized for my work in our division, and given the chance to open my own lab closer to the center of the capital.

 

Yuura did not follow. I was finally superior to him after a couple of years of serving him, then working on equal footing with him. It was hard to read his face the day I told him. He smiled, the same as always, with a hint of pride. Yet his eyes glinted in a way that I sensed envy, possibly even resentment. I was one step closer to experiencing the corruption of the Bariurian court, not necessarily to fix it, but more than likely to become part of it.

 

I stopped getting to see him at work each day, just as he had feared. Just as I had feared.

 

Moving into the new lab, getting everything organized, and surveying profiles on potential assistants took up much of my time the first few months, so much that I had to turn down Yuura’s offers to meet up at our usual meeting places. I told him I'd have the free time one day.

 

I only saw him on occasion. More years passed, and “on occasion” turned to “rarely.” He gradually became a less prominent figure on my life, yet I could not forget him. He lingered on the back of my mind. _I wonder how Yuura is doing. I wonder if he misses me._

 

Then I met… her. And from that moment on, everything changed again.

 

“So we finally meet…” were her first words to me that night, drawing my attention to the balcony of my new lab facility. “I’ve heard many tales of a man like you. Word of powerful humans such as yourself gets around quickly.”

 

She was, in the most literal sense of the word, a goddess, and quite a provocative one at that. Her golden hair shone in the moonlight. Her eyes were dark like voids, drawing in everything around her. I couldn’t lie. She was beautiful, and she piqued my interest in the most shameful way.

 

“And what brings you here?” I was wary, yet I did not worry. Yuura had rubbed off on me in that sense.

 

Her lips curled into a smile, one that seemed so innocent but delightfully twisted, one that reminded me of… him…

 

“You’ve garnered my interest. As such, you will refer to me as Zellha, and allow me to observe your workings of chaos.”

 

I allowed her. I was curious.

 

She would visit me in my humble lab, out of nowhere when nobody else was around. But I was assured she was indeed real and not a figment of my imagination. I had not yet gotten around to hiring others to work for me at that point. It was only her and me at times.

 

Oh, and how she teased me, clearing space on the lab benches to recline upon, and pretending that the concept of personal space was a foreign one. She’d play with my hair as I worked, sometimes placing her slender hands on my shoulders and hips even as I tried to ignore her. She’d tempt me with “favors” of sorts if I shared my secrets of magic with her. She knew I was powerful. She wanted my power for herself. I knew it, and I knew what I'd get into if I agreed, and yet...

 

I was… shameful. So, very shameful.

 

I agreed one night, a month after she first appeared to me. I found her lying on my bed back at my home, after I had agreed to exchange the information on my abilities to her. She was eager to discuss with me. She was eager to deceive me. She called herself a Goddess of Chaos and Deception for a reason. She had bragged and confided to me about her recent deception that led to the imprisonment of the Judge of Sin amongst the gods, the one called Kajah. I didn’t doubt her claims for a moment. I knew she would try to deceive me.

 

Yet I was the one to deceive her.

 

I distracted her that night, besting her at her own game. It wasn’t at all that difficult. Even for a goddess, she was weak to what many would consider a human fault. She was weak to her own lust, perhaps her own affections for me. I suppose Yuura was correct about the gods’ powers over humanity.

 

Yet… throughout the night, I couldn’t quite look her in the eye. It was disgusting, what I had agreed to in order to attain more power from her, the power that could rival that of the gods themselves. What if word had gotten out of what had happened? What if people knew of the tryst I had with a goddess who was clearly against humanity?

 

What if Yuura found out?

 

Zellha was an intelligent goddess despite her grave mistake. She soon realized that I had used her just as she had tried to use me. She left my life in a furious huff after that. In truth, I could only say good riddance. It would have been best for me to forget that encounter, yet it would not leave. Once again, I was alone, but it was all for better.

 

Another year passed. I had finally gotten some workers under me to help assist me, although my reputation had taken quite a few hits. Rumors spread of how I had suddenly attained great power, particularly in the dark arts, reaching a threshold in morality that even the most heinous of dark magicians would not have touched. I no longer struggled with summoning the dead or the spirits below us. My assistants feared me.

 

And then came the gossip about my involvement in several incidents with the Magicians of Bariura. Well… some were true. It was due to my own carelessness that a colleague of mine died, and his wife grieved his passing. I had grown conniving enough to build up my own secret army, used for my own nefarious purposes. I was more willing to subject my own workers to horrific experiments involving fusion and sacrificial rituals.

 

Even _I_ am disgusted with some of my choices from the past, though I consider myself good at hiding it.

 

Encounters with minor gods and servants of the gods became more frequent. I could only have assumed back then that it was Zellha’s indirect way of enacting revenge on me.

 

I had grown numb in due time to the stress and morality battles within me. My hair, which used to be a relatively healthy sheen of dark gray, had grown nearly completely white from the stress of all the issues I had to endure. A fusion incident left me with blood red horns on either side of my head, only serving to symbolize my reputation, not that I cared at that point. And my weight… I was practically skin and bones.

 

My newfound appearance did not escape Yuura when we met again by chance after all those years.

 

“Shida…?” He had looked at me as if he were unsure it was indeed me. He hadn't changed much. “You've lost weight.”

 

The way he said it suggested he had wanted to make a joke to ease the tension, yet he faltered in his speaking.

 

“Yes, I know.”

 

“Have… you been doing well?”

 

“I suppose.”

 

It was apparent to both of us that we had come back to square one. Suddenly we were strangers again. We had never met before. I had become someone new, someone nearly unidentifiable, and he barely recognized me.

 

He had come to bring some belongings of mine, belongings that I had forgotten at his lab years ago. It boggled my mind that he would come to my own lab to bring them back after such a length of time.

 

“I think these are yours, anyway…” he said as he set down the box. “So how's work been?”

 

“It has been very productive.” I had occupied myself with work, seeing no point at the time in stopping work just because a former colleague had visited. He took notice, and for the first time I noticed him shrinking away from the conversation.

 

“Ah, okay... You must be really busy, so I'll be going then…”

 

I made an attempt to sound polite, realizing then that this was the time to enjoy Yuura’s company after so long. I had missed him and his company. There was no doubting it. And yet…

 

“No no, not very. You can stay. Is there anything else I may help you with?”

 

“Well, actually… I was wondering if we could go out for lunch sometime? Just to catch up since the good old days?”

 

“I… would like that, yes. I'll need to check my schedule, however.”

 

… I found it hard to allow myself to go back to him.

 

We never did meet up to catch up. I was too invested in work and research. There were so many discoveries to be made, more leaps of power to make, more tasks to be carried out. I had blinded myself in the challenge. Whenever Yuura crossed my mind, I thought, “Not now, perhaps next time.”

 

I neglected Yuura, to put it simply. I wouldn't have blamed him for hating me.

 

Although it didn’t seem like it at all, I… missed his company, terribly. And yet, I never made those steps to regain that company.

 

The war with the Gods neared, not yet officially begun. By that point I was a highly-ranked figure amongst the Bariurian hierarchy. In fact, I was advisor to the Emperor. I had become what Yuura hated. But I didn't care at the time.

 

The Emperor instructed me to find someone to assassinate the Oracle Knight and Maiden, who were worshippers of the God Lucius. Spies of the Emperor had informed the Emperor of what the two were about to do. They were about to cause a great calamity that would have officially kickstarted the Great War. I was told to pick someone trustworthy for the assassination.

 

I chose Yuura.

 

When I went to visit him to tell him I had nominated him for the task, well… he treated me coldly.

 

“Yuura, I’d like to ask for a favor from you.”

 

“Can't you see I'm busy training?”

 

He was, indeed, training when I confronted him. It seemed at that point he was focused on summoning the dead to fight for him for the most part. He was smart like that. “What is it that you want?”

 

“Dispose of the Oracle Knight and Maiden. It is a request from the Emperor himself, for me to choose someone to perform this task. I thought of you first.”

 

He scoffed at my attempt of flattery. “The Knight and the Maiden… at the Tower, I presume.” He had stopped training, yet he didn't look me in the eye. “Why?”

 

“They are obstacles to Bariura’s true glory,” I answered simply. “I cannot say much more than that.”

 

“Not even to me?”

 

I shook my head. “My apologies. It is a matter that only we of the Emperor’s court may discuss.”

 

He looked at me with disdain as he slung his staff over his shoulder, facing me but not directly looking at me. “Anything… else?”

 

“Yes, actually.” I held out a box for him. He took it immediately and opened it. He held up a single earring with a dangling jewel. He looked at me confused. “Wear this. It's so I may monitor your progress.”

 

“To spy on me, huh?” It was apparent he was displeased with my distrust in him.

 

I didn't respond. It was merely a custom to avoid treason to the empire. He knew that. He should've known that.

 

“Hah, you've changed a lot, Shida…” He laughed lowly, disappointment lacing his voice. “You know… I’m just saying, I never thought you'd come so far. Look at you, you're actually working with the big guys now. I hardly recognize you.”

 

His fake smile only furthered the guilt in my heart. “Yuura… Forgive me for losing contact with you. I…” Words hung in my mouth, unable to spill out. I could not lose composure, not with my position. I was to remain professional, in spite of what I felt for him.

 

“Don't worry about it, Shida. Just… take care of yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to job to do.” He pushed past me, our shoulders bumping.

 

I wanted to say something else, but I could not settle on what to say. _Be safe. Report to me once you've dealt with them. Take care. See you soon._

 

“I…”

 

He didn't hear my halted thought. He left.

 

It was the last time I saw him in that life.

 

I drowned myself in my research afterwards. I had not yet forgotten my dream of visiting Ishgria. With the threat of the gods looming over us, I knew that eventually we'd be in danger. I began to doubt Yuura’s claims that humanity would win out against the gods. If the gods were to win… if that outcome were to happen… I'd have to find a place to flee to. I may as well have killed two birds with one stone while I was at it.

 

I kept the other earring, the partner to Yuura’s, to keep track of his progress. Perhaps he knew I was listening in on him, or maybe he didn't. I had no way of knowing that. I didn't always listen in. I only needed to check on him every now and then.

 

Little by little, the forces under me began to crumble away. Most of the soldiers in my secret personal army died on the missions I assigned them over time, except one by the name of Logan, yet he eventually disappeared as well. But the ones who died still served a purpose to me, as I absorbed their spirits to mine to increase my own power. My personal assistants were lost to early experiments to reach Ishgria, by which I mean they never came back even if I had sent them to the forbidden land successfully.

 

Once again, I was alone. It was more painfully obvious as time went on.

 

Fusion and necromancy had become my specialty. Yet I also grew to favor summoning, even if it was a budding magic class of its own, with very little to go off of besides the very basics. But such classes of magic took a toll on the mind. I was becoming lost to the lust of power, much like back during my days with Zellha. I absorbed the souls and powers of others to enhance my own, no longer bothered by the rumors amongst the people of Bariura. I wanted more. I needed more.

 

There was nobody to stop me. Nobody. At least, that's what I thought… until I heard him again…

 

It was empty and barren in my research facility, which had expanded over the years. I was about to start another fusion experiment.

 

It was lonely. I was lonely. I had no one left.

 

I glanced to the other earring on my main desk. Wanting to ease the overbearing silence in the room, I put it on.

 

Yuura was… laughing. There were others with him. They were voices I didn't recognize.

 

“... Medina, it's your turn! Tell us about yourself.” It was Yuura’s voice. Medina… was she not a candidate for...

 

“W-Why do I have to join in?!” A shrill, annoyed girl’s voice came through.

 

“Ahh, please, Medina? We all did our introductions…” A more soothing voice…

 

“Hey, come on Ilia, she doesn't need to share anything if she doesn't want to.” … and a young man’s voice.

 

“Hmph. Thanks, Ark…”

 

Ark… and Ilia… Those were the names of...

 

“What about you, instead, Yuura?”

 

“Huh, me?” Yuura spoke again. “Well… okay, I guess. What do you want to know?”

 

“What do you do for a living?” Another man spoke.

 

“Living… well…” I could practically hear him think. If he really was with the Oracle Knight and Maiden but had not yet killed them, that had to have meant he had abandoned Bariura. He was going to tell them… “I dabbled in some dark arts back at the capital.”

 

“A Magician, huh? What brings you all the way out here?”

 

“Uhh, well, see, a supervisor of mine sent me out here to do some research of the area. See what kind of materials and such I can find…”

 

Another woman’s voice came through. “Seems like boring work.”

 

“Haha… w-well, my supervisor’s a boring guy!” Yuura exclaimed with a forced laugh. “Honestly, we were so close before… or I'd like to think so, anyway.”

 

“Did… something happen?”

 

“Eh, he moved on ahead of me, is all. Can't get stuck on the little guys, y’know…? Bah, who needs him, anyway… He's turned out corrupted like the rest of the higher-ups. But I like you guys. So I decided-- if you're gonna face Karna Masta, then I'll do it too.”

 

I felt my stomach drop at that moment. So it was true… He joined them. He betrayed Bariura, and by extension betrayed me. And he would tell them about me in such a way… He did hate me. Despise me.

 

_Why wouldn’t he hate you? After treating him like you did..._

 

I couldn't deactivate the earring after that. I had to keep an eye on Yuura.

 

When the Emperor asked how his progress was, I told him the assassination plot had not yet come to an end. It was the least I could do… I was tired of it all as well.

 

I remember the day, when dark clouds loomed overhead, over all of Bariura. The Oracle Knight and Maiden, those fools, with Yuura amongst them, had begun their battle with Karna Masta. I didn't tap into the earring. I tried to distract myself.

 

Why? I do not know myself. Part of me didn't want to remember Yuura or the way he abandoned me. Part of me didn't want to hear him die.

 

Yet I ended up tapping in, immediately becoming overwhelmed with the sounds of battle. The sound of swords clashing, of monster releasing primal roars, of familiar waves of dark magic being cast…

 

I heard Yuura curse following a blood-chilling scream by one of the women. “Medina!! Damnit! Hold on!”

 

Medina… what a beautiful name… Yuura really had made a friend, I presumed… Perhaps more than a friend… I felt a fist close over my heart at that moment, especially.

 

“Medina! Hang on, come on! Agh!!” He groaned. I felt my heart skip a beat as I heard something hit him with a loud crash. For a frightening moment, there was no sound coming through my end of the transmission.

 

… Then I heard him scream, not in pain, but in determination. I had completely stopped what I was doing at that point. He was alive. He was alive…!

 

“You think I'm going down that easy?! Not… if I… have anything to say about it!!”

 

It wasn't until then that I had realized what Yuura had accomplished the last few years, during our separation. He had learned the secrets of self-revival, the ability to escape death’s grasp. Yet…

 

“Gah!!” Another loud crash, and there was no sound again for a few moments.

 

He was human. He had his limits. He was running out of time, and I had no power to interfere. I was too far away. I had no way of getting to him in time.

 

No, why did I want to help him? He betrayed our empire, he betrayed the Emperor, he betrayed me, he--

 

“Shida…” His voice was low and soft.

 

He…

 

“Shida, are you… still listening…?”

 

Yuura…

 

“Damn… I-I don't know how this works…” The sounds of the battle faded into the background. I could hear him clearly enough. “Shida, I'm sorry, I don't have any time left--!”

 

It was silent again for a full minute, until he came back once more, breathing heavily.

 

“I can't last much longer.” His spell chanting became ragged and sloppy. “Ark!! I… I’m sorry, the truth is I was sent to kill you! Gh…” He gasped, coughing. “I-I’ll open a path! It’ll be my redemption!” A loud noise overtook the transmission for a moment.

 

“Shida… are you there? I-I wonder if you'll hear me…” He was in pain. I could hear his voice choke. He was… crying…

 

I was listening, Yuura. Yuura, I'm so sorry, I--

 

“Shida… I really did lo--”

 

The sound cut out for the final time. I waited, waited for some kind of sound. He wasn't there anymore.

 

Yuura was gone.

 

What happened after that point was a blur to me. I barely remember a thing past that memory. I vaguely recall walking through the streets of the ruined capital, gods and demons expiring before me, demolished by my power. I had no more restraint, but I kept a straight face. I recall people screaming, not knowing whether or not I was one of them.

 

I needed a distraction. I still had something left in life, didn’t I?

 

I remember turning to the Emperor’s brother, him shouting something at me before casting me into a portal. Ah, that's right… Ishgria is the only thing that awaited me…

 

But it was not Ishgria. It was an unfamiliar land, but not one of beauty and discovery. Where I fell, was a land of death and decay everywhere.

 

There was already destruction wherever I went. There were very few living specimens, none too interesting for my eye. I was disgusted. I felt betrayed once more. I had dreamt of the moment I stepped into the new land, sometimes-- no-- most of the time, with Yuura next to me. But both of those opportunities were gone. I had no way of returning to Grand Gaia.

 

There was nothing left for me to do but continue my work there, mindlessly and listlessly toying with whatever living being crossed my path. It did not matter to me anymore. I made discoveries like I had planned to make in Ishgria, yet I believe even this were that land, I would have still felt empty inside. I wanted more to discover, more to that life. But there was nothing left.

 

I hardly remember the moment I physically died. Was it natural? Did I succumb to the dangers of that land, to an unimaginable monster? I do not know. I only remember… a bright light.

 

And almost immediately after, the voice of a young person called out to me. Death was timeless, and it was apparent in that moment. I was dead one moment, my spirit wandering listlessly in darkness, and the next I was pulled through a set of golden doors, light blinding my eyes.

 

And I was alive again. I felt younger, less powerful. But I was alive, in a new world. Elgaia?

 

The person who had summoned me had taken me back from death. I was intrigued beyond belief. I had my curiosity of the many mysteries of life back. Here was another life, another chance to make new discoveries.

 

I met many colorful heroes and villains with my Summoner. I paid most of them no mind, although some I did recognize. Some of them, I even worked with before. Yet we talked very little. No doubt they still held their grudges on me for what I had done. I couldn't blame them. Why would I? I was content either way.

 

I grew once more, steadily gaining my powers back. But this time, with my mind intact and clear. This new life had turned to the better. I could visit Bariura again, yet it pained my heart to see its destroyed state. That is to say, my old lab wasn’t doing any better… But there was satisfaction knowing some of it still stood.

 

We were even bound to head to Ishgria. I was… excited, to say the least, at the prospect of the possibility. I had a second chance.

 

Yet there was hope in my heart to meet Yuura again, although my Summoner did not know how to summon him specifically. Dozens of gates, colored gold and crimson and blinding rainbow, and he still did not appear. If I had the ability to start over again with this life, then perhaps with this life came the opportunity to start over with him… if he would allow it.

 

Because what did he think of me? After all those years, what was his opinion of me? I was not sure if I wanted to know. I merely wanted to see him again, and experience working with him again. I slowly lost hope over time that there was no chance of seeing him again...

 

But… one day, while I was there, standing by the Summoner by coincidence to discuss something with them…

 

“That's too bad.” A figure stepped out of an iridescent gate. He slicked back his purple hair, looking down upon the Summoner with sharp, beautiful violet eyes. “Summoning me, I mean. Well, I guess that's what they call fate…”

 

He suddenly looked surprised. The Summoner looked behind themselves, and I realized they were both looking at me.

 

“... Sh-Shida…?” He swallowed, clearly unsure how to feel about seeing me again. Yet his lip curled slightly, eyebrows arched in a way that I did not know how he truly felt about me.

 

It took me a moment to regain my composure. I cleared my throat and stepped forward.

 

“Hello, Yuura. It's nice to meet you again.”

 

~~~

 

_I know not what I felt back then_

_In your company_

_But here we meet again_

_Past regrets left behind so that_

_We may start anew_

_For I believe I can call you a true companion_

_Or mayhaps something more_

**Author's Note:**

> Hoorah, an ambiguous ending! I was thinking of perhaps creating a sequel/AU to this story that's more slice-of-life and fluffy... but on the other hand there is still that story with Sergio and Arius to work on... What do you guys think?


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